grapnel

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English grapnel, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French grapil, grapin. Compare modern French grappin. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈɡɹæpnəl/ Rhymes: -æpnəl === Noun === grapnel (plural grapnels) (nautical) A small anchor, having more than two flukes, used for anchoring a small vessel. 1790, William Bligh, A Narrative of the Mutiny on Board his Majesty’s Ship Bounty, London: George Nicol, Entry for 1 June, 1789,[1] At dawn of day we got on shore, and tracked the boat into shelter; for the wind blowing fresh without, and the ground being rocky, I was afraid to trust her at a grapnel, lest she might be blown to sea: I was, therefore, obliged to let her ground in the course of the ebb. Synonym: graplin A device with a multiple hook at one end and attached to a rope, which is thrown or hooked over a firm mooring to secure an object attached to the other end of the rope. (nautical) A grappling iron. ==== Translations ==== === Verb === grapnel (third-person singular simple present grapnels, present participle (US) grapneling or (UK) grapnelling, simple past and past participle (US) grapneled or (UK) grapnelled) (transitive, nautical) To connect (ships) with a grapnel.